HEMET: Police chase, capture burglary suspects

Hemet police captured two burglary suspects Monday, April 22, after a three-mile chase that reached speeds of 100 miles per hour.

The chase began just after midnight when Hemet police Sgt. Bob Nishida spotted a GMC Sierra pickup that had been reported as stolen leaving a gas station in the 3300 block of West Florida Avenue in Hemet, according to a Police Department news release.

Nishida attempted to stop the pickup for an equipment violation, but the driver fled. Speeds reached 100 mph during the three-mile chief, Police Lt. Eric Dickson said. The vehicle stopped east of Winchester Road, where the two occupants were taken into custody.

During a search of the vehicle and the suspects, police found several items believed to have been stolen, including two credit cards, the release said. Officers also searched a motel, where another stolen vehicle was recovered, along with items believed to have been taken from the home of a recently deceased couple in the unincorporated area of Hemet.

The Sierra was reported stolen in San Jacinto. Police had learned that fake license plates had been affixed to it.

Alan Lee Watne, 26, of Hemet, was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in French Valley on suspicion of evading arrest, receiving stolen property and a probation violation. He was being held without bail.

Ashlee Louise Temple, 19, of Hemet, was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of receiving stolen property. Her bail was set at $15,000.

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